Air Peace Explains Why It Didn’t Delay Flight For Emir Of Kano

Nigeria’s biggest domestic air carrier, Air Peace has disputed claims in a petition against it that it disrespected the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero and should as such be sanctioned by the nation’s aviation authorities.

The emir’s chief protocol officer, Prince Isa Bayero who is also a cousin of the monarch had petitioned the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA asking for sanctions on Air Peace after the airline refused to delay the Lagos – Kano flight for the emir who had arrived Lagos late on account of delay in his originating flight from Banjul, The Gambia.

“Our departure from Banjul was scheduled for 00:10hrs (local time) on 24th February, 2022, however, we departed Banjul at 01:19hrs and we landed at Lagos at 5:45am. Our connecting flight to Kano on the same Air Peace airline was for 6:15 hrs. This gave us only 30 minutes to make our flight to Kano,” Mr Bayero said.

According to him, he had personally called Allen Onyeama, the Chairman of Air Peace to delay the flight but that the airline owner flatly refused upon which the entourage of the emir had to wait in Lagos till evening at its own cost in a Lagos hotel.

“He flatly refused and avowed that he will not do that. I personally took this as an insult and a flagrant show of disrespect to his highness and the Kano people at large.”

Responding to the petition, Air Peace in a statement on Friday disputed the claim saying that the airline rather helped to protect the image of the emir.

Chief Operating Officer, Air Peace Ltd, Toyin Olajide (Mrs) in a reaction said, “Rather than disrespect the revered Emir of Kano, Air Peace did everything to protect the name and image of the Emir from ridicule by not succumbing to what Isa Bayero wanted us to do.

“If we had agreed to stop and delay an aircraft, already set to take-off, for another one hour only for the doors to be opened and the Emir to walk in, there would have been a very serious uproar in the media nationwide against both the airline and the Emir. This we pleaded with Isa Bayero to understand but he refused to accept.

“How could Isa Bayero want the Management of Air Peace to stop and delay a fully boarded plane with doors already shut and aircraft already moving while our respected Emir and eight others in his entourage, including Isa Bayero, were still at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos after arriving from Banjul?”

The COO explained that from the telephone log evidence on the phone of the Chairman/CEO, Allen Onyema, Mr. Isa Bayero, called at about 5.52am, at a time he was still sleeping.

According to her, from the same log, it could be seen that he called him again at 5.59am which obviously woke him up.

The COO added, “On seeing that it was Isa Bayero calling, he took the call. Isa told our Chairman that he and the Emir of Kano had just landed the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos from Banjul, Gambia and would be proceeding to Kano same morning.

“He told the Chairman to delay our first flight of the day, the 6:15 am Lagos-Kano flight for him and the Emir with another eight persons. It was not true that our Chairman refused flatly. He rather told Mr. Isa Bayero to give him a few minutes to call the airport to find out the status of the flight. I was the one he called. To show his desire to help, he called me immediately and intimated me with the request.

“I am the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Air Peace. I quickly called the local airport from where we carry on our day to day domestic flight operations and was told that the aircraft had since finished boarding and was almost taxiing out.”

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